Sunday, October 31, 2010

WOW!!!! I never thought I could do it! And I only have you guys to thank! Your support and kind words are what keeps me going (well than and the need to eat....). I promise I'll try to make my next 100 posts just as exciting!

This week we have some delicious recipies. I don't know if you have ever cooked pork tenderloin but it is SUPER simple and my kids (Picky Polly's that they are) actually like it. The Squash soup in pumpkin bows, is a actually a food network recipe that I have been dying to try. A friend (Thanks Robbi!) passed along their last issue and I was in heaven. It looks a little more complicated that some of the other recipes so I will post a step by step for you all after I am done. I am super excited to try another Pioneer Woman recipe, she always has great food and the baked potato soup was originally forwarded to me from another friend (Thanks Nicki!) with rave reviews!

So my friends, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU for following me through my 100 posts and ENJOY!!!!

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In skillet, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil over medium-high heat; brown pork all over. Transfer to foil-lined baking sheet; roast in 400°F (200°C) oven until juices run clear when pork is pierced, about 18 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, in same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat; saut?hallots until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper; saut?ntil mushrooms are golden, about 6 minutes.
Add wine; cook until evaporated, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Add broth; cook for 5 minutes.
Mix butter with flour and add to sauce along with parsley; simmer, stirring, until thickened. Stir any juices from pork into sauce. Serve with pork.

Directions
Make the bowls: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Use a paring knife to cut a large circle around the stem of each pumpkin (make a zigzag cut, if desired). Remove the lid and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Sprinkle the inside of each with 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and salt. Place the pumpkins and lids on a baking sheet; roast until tender, 20 to 35 minutes, depending on their size.
Meanwhile, make the soup: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Strip the thyme leaves into the pot, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and sugar and cook, stirring, until glazed, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender, crack the lid to let steam escape and puree until smooth; return to the saucepan (or puree directly in the pan with an immersion blender). Stir in the heavy cream, if desired. Season with salt and pepper, and top as desired.

One at a time, dip chicken strips into eggs, letting any excess drip back into bowl. Dredge in cheese mixture, coating generously and pressing to adhere. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate, layered between waxed paper, in airtight container for up to 24 hours. Or freeze for up to 2 weeks; bake frozen, adding 5 minutes to baking time.)
Arrange on greased baking sheets; drizzle with butter. Bake in 425°F oven until golden, crispy and no longer pink inside, about 15 minutes.Oven fries :

As many potatoes as people
cut like fries
place foil on a baking sheet
toss potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, and seasoning salt
spread potatoes on baking sheet
cook at 350 for 40 mins or until done

Take leftover chicken fingers and warm in a frying pan on the stove.
When done, take a trtilla shell, spread mayo, layer chicken, lettuce, tomato, bacon bits, and shredded cheese. Wrap it up and ENJOY!

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.
With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)
Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.
Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.
Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Directions1. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, 2 cups milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the cauliflower and scallion whites, cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup milk, then puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Microwave the bacon at high power until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes; crumble. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top with the shredded cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon and scallion greens.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

I have missed this. Sunday mornings, coffee in hand planning my meals for the week. I think I need to make changes to my site, like adding pictures and shopping lists, but they will come I promise. In the meantime, share your plans with me! And until next week...Happy Planning!

DirectionsIn bowl, combine honey, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. (Make-ahead: In shallow glass dish, pour honey mixture over pork, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.)
Brush pork with half of the honey mixture; place on greased grill over medium-high heat. Close lid and cook for 10 minutes; turn and brush with remaining honey mixture. Cook for 8 minutes or until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside.
Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Refrigerate 1 of the tenderloins until cold; wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Thinly slice remaining 2 tenderloins.

DirectionsPreheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower florets, tomatoes and garlic with butter; spread out evenly, placing garlic pieces to one side of the sheet. Roast for about 20 min, stirring twice (without mixing in garlic), until cauliflower and garlic are browned and tender and tomatoes have burst open.
Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling water, cook tortellini according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Whisk flour, thyme and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each, salt and pepper into Milk. Pour into pasta pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, whisking, for about 3 min or until thick. Remove from heat. Mash garlic and stir into sauce then stir in remaining roasted vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide tortellini among serving bowls and spoon vegetables and sauce over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

The day after I got my computer back I was cruising cooking blogs (surprised?) and I stumbled across this blog Mommie Cooks, who by the way has some AMAZING looking recipes. At any rate I found her recipe for Cranberry Apple Butter and was immediately intrigued, more so because I went a little overboard at the fruit stand the other day with in the apple department :)but nonetheless you could practically SMELL the apples cooking in the crock before I even pulled it out of the cupboard!

DISCLAIMER

I make no claims that the recipes here are original (i.e. mine) and make every effort to cite the author/website I found it on. If you see something I have omitted, PLEASE feel to contact me and I will be happy to correct it!